(The following is a series of short articles concerning prayer.)

It would be failure to succeed in this life, but ignore the things that matter in eternity. It is not a shame to die poor or unpopular, but I don’t want to die a failure. Prayer is essential to everything I do. The only success without prayer is success that does not matter in eternity.

“You only have as much spirituality as you have in secret, where no prying eye can see, where there is no one there but God and thee.” (Anon)

 

You have to approach prayer with the thought that you may be the only one praying at that moment. If someone has a serious need, is critically ill, grieving over the loss of a loved one, is lost, and etc, you may be the only one praying for them at that hour. Pray for other people, and God will see to it that other people will pray for you. Reach out to someone else’s loved one and God will move someone to reach out to your loved one.

“Some men’s prayers need to be cut short at both ends and set on fire in the middle.” (Dwight L. Moody)

 

In the great fight of faith, it is essential that we know the will of God. God gives us five pieces of armor, one weapon, and one communication system. Although it is all essential, I believe the most important of the equipping is the communication system, which is prayer. Can you imagine a fully equipped army going to battle without a communication system? If we do not pray, we will not know what God is doing, and we cannot possibly do His will. As Paul put it so succinctly, we will be as “one that beats the air.”

“A man may study because his brain is hungry for knowledge, even Bible knowledge. But he prays because his soul is hungry for God.” (Leonard Ravenhill)

 

The Gamburtsev Mountains, called Antarctica’s “Ghost” Mountains, is a mountain range comparable to the European Alps, but buried under about three miles of ice. It is so large that it is capable of being seen from outer space. No one would know that it existed except for data complied by various scientists.

In a way, it reminds me of the deposit of prayer in a godly person’s life. All the short and powerful prayers of a godly person are peaks of a large hidden mountain of prayer. However, many professing Christians seldom pray. They use prayer as a “fire extinguisher”…only in time of trouble. If prayer in times of trouble is the only time one prays, such praying is no threat to defeat and no boon to victory.

Prayer is the enabler of faith. You could have faith so that you could move mountains, but if you don’t pray the mountain will remain in its place. Someone once said, “If you pray before you get in trouble like you pray when you are in trouble, you wouldn’t be in as much trouble.”

“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.” (Corrie ten Boom)

 

The only thing that appears to attract the attention and anger of Satan more than praying is to exhort people to pray. Now that I am under a strong attack, my response is to press on with my mission.

Professing Christians that do not pray can be used by Satan, have no discernment, are disinterested in God and what He offers, are spiritual deaf and blind, and have no depth like the seed sown on stoney places (Matthew 13:5-6). They ignore God’s word, scorn His warnings, have no moral authority to stand against encroaching evil, and they cannot produce fruit. In fact, the most certain thing in their lives is that they will fail to obey God. It isn’t that they cannot pray or do not know how to pray, but that they steadfastly refuse to pray.

These are the ones that consume most of the church’s time and energy. In fact, most churches are designed to accommodate weak, persnickety, pamper-minded, non-praying Christians and their many woes. Their perpetual defeat at the hands of Satan is the topic of most Christian music, books, sermons, and most other ministry activity in Christianity today. It is so terrible a problem that some churches advertise as a “hospital for souls”. They ought to be advertised as a praise gathering, harvest center, and a refueling station for soul winners.

There must be quite a number of these folk on a hunger strike from God’s manna in protest of commitment and duty. Most professing Christians that I meet are defeated in mind and spirit. They are in a state of apathetic denial about the encroaching darkness of the last days. The only thing resembling Christianity about them is that they will admit to “going to church”. Few of them will attempt to “be the church”. They lament about the epidemic of heresy, but post quotes by heretics on their FB page. They complain about an obtrusive government, but the lack of their godly influence in society help put the present administration in power. I could go on but they will never read this, and it they did, they would either be offended or refuse to give it any consideration. Suffice it to say that when this world goes down in defeat to the minions of the Antichrist, it will not be because of the strength of Satan, but because of the self-imposed weakness of nominal, prayerless, professing Christians.

“The thermometer of a church (Christian) is its (his or her) prayer meeting.” (Vance Havner – parenthesis mine)